How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Oxalis Triangularis

Oxalis triangularis, the false shamrock, is simply stunning. It makes the perfect houseplant and can also be grown in the garden. Learn how to grow it with our complete grower's guide. Expert Lorin Nielsen will take you through it.

A shot of Oxalis triangularis placed in a white pot on top of a wooden surface near a window in an area indoors

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Oxalis triangularis has distinctive purple leaves and small flowers. It’s often called the “false shamrock” because its leaves resemble those of a shamrock. This isn’t a shamrock, though – shamrocks are a form of clover, and this is anything but!

Nearly heart-shaped or triangular leaves move depending on the ambient light. At night, the love plant’s leaves will fold down like an umbrella, and the flowers close. But once morning comes, they reopen and stretch up to catch the sun.

This foliage perennial is a variety of purple wood sorrel and a great choice as an ornamental. It’s lovely both indoors and out and can be the perfect houseplant. It’s easy to care for as long as it’s got the right temperature, and it’ll come back year after year!

For those of us in warm climates, Oxalis triangularis works well both in xeriscaping and in regular landscaping. You’ll find it to be surprisingly adaptable so long as you keep it mulched. It also can make for an unusual ground cover in warm climates.

So why look for a four-leaved clover when you can have a three-leaved lucky shamrock plant? Let’s go over everything your Oxalis triangularis could need to explode into growth!

Plant Overview

A close-up shot of the false shamrock plant highlighting its triangular shape and deep purple hue
Plant Type Perennial
Family Oxalidaceae
Genus Oxalis
Species Oxalis triangularis
Native Area South America
Exposure Full sun to partial shade
Height 14-20”
Watering Requirements Regular
Pests & Diseases Sucking pests. Also susceptible to rust, mildew, botrytis, root rot.
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Well-draining, humus rich
Hardiness Zone 8-11
YouTube video
For more information on growing oxalis, watch this video.

What is Oxalis Triangularis?

There’s a bit of confusion about the false shamrock, specifically its botanical name. Officially, it’s Oxalis triangularis. However, it is sometimes listed as its synonym, Oxalis regalia subsp. triangular. But despite the name confusion, purple shamrocks are glorious plants. The leaves are formed of three separate leaflets, each one triangular in shape. As the sun rises, these leaves open up wide to capture the sun’s rays. In the evening, they fold down like an umbrella.

Native Area

A close-up and focused shot of the false shamrock showcasing its deep purple foliage that is growing from a textured soil ground with different plants in the background in an area outdoors.
The false shamrock is native in several countries in South America.

Oxalis triangularis is native to several countries in South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. It’s a winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit, and this award’s well-deserved.

Characteristics

A close-up of a deep purple perennial highlighting its deep purple hue and triangular shape with its stem and leaves in the background in a well lit area indoors
The color of the plant can vary depending on its subspecies or cultivar.

The leaves of Oxalis triangularis may be purple, nearly black, reddish, or green in color. These vary by subspecies or cultivar, but all show the same responsiveness to light. You can actually go out at sunrise or sunset and watch the leaves “wake up” or “fall asleep”!

The leaves will also move in response to being bumped or windblown. By folding itself up, Oxalis triangularis protects its foliage from damage.

Each leaf is attached to a petiole, a slender stem that rises up from a rhizome hidden beneath the soil. Flower stalks also rise directly from this tuberous rhizome to form buds. The resulting five-petaled flowers may be white, pale pink, pale lavender, or a mix of any of the above.

This is a fascinating plant that deserves a place in every home and garden!

Varieties

As a general rule, all false shamrock falls into one of three subspecies. Those are subsp. papilionacea, subsp. lepida, and subsp. glabrifolia.

All three subspecies of Oxalis triangularis are very similar, but the coloration varies. More commonly, you’ll find these sold under specific cultivar names. There’s a wide range of names out there, and many are specific to the company where they originate.

We’ll loosely cover three of those cultivars now. Just be aware that this isn’t all that’s out there! Some species are reddish, others green, and still more purple to almost black. Their flower colors vary too. All are native to South America.

Oxalis triangularis ‘Francis’

A close up shot of the False Shamrock - Francis cultivar of the perennial that showcases its lavender-pink blooms and vivid purple plants that is placed in a well lit area.
This variety is one of the most popular cultivated forms.

This bright purple shamrock is an absolute delight. One of the most popular cultivated forms, ‘Francis’ oxalis, are vividly purple heirloom plants. White to lavender-pink blooms rise up from amidst the leaves during its flowering season.

Oxalis triangularis ‘Charmed® Jade’

A close-up shot of two different cultivars of the perennial, with the Charmed Jade being the star of the show, showcasing its bright green leaves and white-ivory blooms that is placed in a clay pot in a well lit area
This variety has bright green foliage and white or ivory blooms.

Still a false shamrock, ‘Charmed® Jade’ is bright green. If you’re looking for a variety that isn’t in the purple or red range, you’re in luck! While not as popular as the darker varieties, it’s still an absolute delight. It is medium-green with white or ivory flowers.

Oxalis triangularis ‘Ebony Allure™’

A close-up and focused shot of the Ebony Allure variation of the perennial that showcases its almost black, dark purple hue with pale pink blooms
This cultivar has dark almost-black leaves, thriving in partial shade.

‘Ebony Allure™’ is a lovely oxalis. Zones 7-9 are recommended for this one. Hot sunlight can burn the leaves quickly, so it’s best in partial shade. Its leaves can be so dark they’re mistaken for black. The flowers begin as a pale pink and fade to white.

Planting

A close up shot of a perennial placed in a square white pot, with the plant showcasing its deep purple hue and lavender-pink flowers, the pot is placed on a white table in a well lit area indoors.
Select a well-draining pot or garden bed, with loose and well-aerated soil.

To plant Oxalis triangularis, start by choosing a well-draining pot or garden bed, as it prefers loose, well-aerated soil. Plant the small tubers about one to one and a half inches deep, with the pointed end facing down, and space them roughly four to five inches apart. Water the soil lightly after planting, ensuring it remains slightly moist but not waterlogged, as the bulbs are prone to rot if overwatered. The plant usually sprouts within two to four weeks, and once established, it’s relatively low-maintenance.

Keep in mind that Oxalis triangularis can go dormant after blooming; during this period, reduce watering and allow the bulbs to rest until they regrow

How to Grow

Your oxalis is going to be fairly self-sustaining. However, a few tips can help your plant truly shine. Our recommendations for its care should help you keep your plant healthy and happy!

Light

A close-up shot of the false shamrock perennial with varying colors basking in bright sunlight in an area outdoors
The perennial prefer a bright location with full or partial sun exposure.

Your false shamrock can tolerate a wide variety of lighting conditions, but they need a somewhat bright location. Sun or partial shade are perfect for this lovely plant. In cooler climates, Oxalis triangularis grows best in full sun conditions. This promotes vibrant color. Hotter climates should provide afternoon shade. While it can grow in full shade, it requires bright, indirect lighting.

Water

A shot of a perennial that is placed in a clay pot with a person wearing an orange long sleeved shirt and white garden gloves, using a gold colored watering can to the purple perennials in an area indroos.
Maintain evenly moist soil and once established, the plants are drought-resistant.

Though drought-resistant once established, Oxalis triangularis needs water to get started. Ensure you maintain evenly moist soil when the plants are young and avoid soggy soil. Once they’ve put down deeper roots, they can tolerate reduced watering.

Make sure to mulch around the base of these plants to prevent soil moisture evaporation. A good wood chip mulch can reduce the need for watering significantly. Three inches of chip mulch can retain some water and will aid in keeping the soil damp.

Avoid muddy conditions or soggy soil for your Oxalis triangularis. Standing water can create the right environment for fungal diseases to develop.

Soil

A focused shot of a person's hand holding coco coir
Use a well-draining, rich soil and adding coconut coir can also help.

Well-draining, humus-rich soil is perfect for false shamrock. It should hold moisture well but allow excess to drain away freely. Container-grown plants do very well in potting soil.

While purple shamrock can grow in clay soil, it prefers loose material that allows the roots to grow deep. Working compost through your soil can help with this. Adding coconut coir can also help to lighten up the soil density. Perlite will provide drainage in conjunction with the compost and coir. Most potting soil mixes contain all these ingredients, and amending garden soil with them works too.

Temperature

A close-up shot of a perennial showcasing its deep purple hue and white flower blooms with tiny droplets of water in a well lit area outdoors
These perennials develop best in hardiness zones 8-9.

Oxalis triangularis can be grown in zones 8-11 but performs the best in zones 8-9. Zone 7 growers should definitely opt for full sun conditions.

Where it’s very tolerant of light variables, it’s not as tolerant of temperature shifts. Oxalis triangularis cannot tolerate frost conditions or extreme heat. Hot conditions can cause the plant to weaken or enter a dormancy period. Temperatures under 50°F (10°C) cause it to fail as well.

For best growth, maintain a temperature range between 60-80°F (16-27°C) most of the time for your plant. Never let it dip down to 40°F (4°C) or lower without some form of protection. A cold frame can help extend this plant’s outdoor growing season.

Fertilizer

The gardener's hands hold a handful of fresh compost mixed with dark, loose soil, set against the backdrop of a garden bed.
Use high-quality compost or slow-release fertilizers.

If you’ve worked some compost into your soil, you shouldn’t need to fertilize your purple shamrock much the first year. For subsequent years, pull back the mulch layer. Spread compost on the soil’s surface, then cover up with mulch again.

As a general rule, oxalis does well even in poorly-fertilized conditions. There’s little need to use commercial fertilizer. You can opt for a slow-release fertilizer, but quality compost provides all your plants need.

Maintenance

A close-up shot of a clean pruning shear with blue and orange handles placed on tp of a wooden surface in a well lit area
Use pruning shears to remove spent flower stalks by cutting it down at the base.

Remove spent flower stalks from your purple shamrock once the blooms fade. With clean pruning shears, you can snip off the stalk down at the base. Read on for repotting and pruning tips.

Repotting

A close-up shot of a person wearing an orange apron and white garden gloves, using a small garden shovel to add soil and repot a deep purple perennial in a clay pot, all situated in a well lit area indoors.
Divide overcrowded perennials and place them in larger pots.

Growing oxalis in containers? Have no fear; repotting into fresh soil is as simple as can be. Gently remove the purple shamrock from the pot and brush away the soil to reveal the oxalis bulbs. If you want, divide the plant. Examine the roots for any signs of rot and trim off damaged portions with sterile shears.

Prepare your new, fresh soil. Be sure it’s well-draining and that it has plenty of compost worked through it. Using the new soil, replant your plant in the same pot or a slightly larger one at the soil line it was previously planted at. Make sure to leave room at the top of the pot for mulch!

It’s generally easier to divide overcrowded plants than to go up in pot size. In a few weeks, they’ll be adequately established, and the foliage begins to put off new growth.

Pruning

A shot of a person wearing a grey sweatshirt  holding a bunch of damaged leaves from a purple colored perennial in a well lit area indoors.
Cut and remove the browning leaves to about an inch from the base.

Pruning Oxalis triangularis is actually very easy, and it doesn’t take long to do maintenance. In the summer, your plant may begin to enter a dormancy period. Its leaves may turn brown, and it may look like it’s dying back. This is a normal response to hot weather! Trim back the browning foliage to about an inch from the base.

If possible, move to a cool and dark location and stop watering for two to three months. If you can’t move it, trim back the foliage to ground level and leave the mulch to keep the base cool.

Propagation

A shot of multiple cutting of a purple perennial with its tubers and roots exposed all placed in a wooden surface near a window in a well lit area indoors.
Carefully separate the plants in clumps, ensuring each has plenty of rhizomes.

Propagation from division or seed is best. Division is the most reliable method of propagating purple shamrock. Carefully work a shovel into the soil to loosen it. Try to avoid cutting the rhizomes that extend out from the plant. Once loosened, lift the plant from the soil and examine the root mass. There should be some larger tubers or corms with rhizomes extending from them. Each of those with its rhizome mass can form a new plant.

Gently separate the plant into clumps, trying to ensure each clump has a corm as well as plenty of rhizomes. Replant at the same depth as before. Be sure the soil has plenty of compost worked in to give your new plants a good start. Your separated plants may droop for a few days after division as the roots settle in.

Seeds should be sown in spring after the soil has reached 60°F. Space your seeds at least an inch apart, and cover them with about an eighth of an inch of soil. Keep the soil consistently moist for the first growing season. Your new plants need more moisture than established ones would. In a few weeks, you’ll have oxalis sprouts.

Common Problems

You’ll find that your purple shamrock plant’s resistant to a lot of pests, although a few still come to call. Its diseases are mostly treatable, too. Let’s go over the problems which you’ll experience while growing this purple sorrel!

Growing Problems

A close-up and focused shot of a seedling of a purple colored perennial placed on a clay pot in a well lit area outdoors
Temperature is one of the most difficult factors to maintain when growing these perennials.

Temperature is usually one of the trickiest aspects to maintain when it comes to caring for purple shamrock. Your love plant prefers it to be between 60-80°F at all times. Many opt to grow them as house plants indoors where the climate is more regulated.

Your plant may go dormant up to twice a year. In its dormancy, its leaves will brown, and it will appear dead. This doesn’t mean it’s dead! It’s just conserving its energy for a later flush of growth. When dormant, stop watering until it shows signs of new growth.

Pests

Whiteflies and their eggs on green plant stem.
Common pests include aphids, whiteflies and spider mites.

Most pests only use the wood sorrel family of plants as a temporary food source. They contain small amounts of oxalic acid, which tends to be more of an irritant for pests than a benefit.

The few which still strike purple shamrock are extremely common. Often, they’ll appear due to other infested garden plants. If you can eliminate these on your other plants, they seldom attack oxalis!

Aphids are common garden irritants. While these are less prone to attacking oxalis than others, they can still feed on them. Unfortunately, they can also spread diseases. Blast them with a strong stream of water from a hose. Then use neem oil to keep these at bay. Insecticidal soap also works well.

Whiteflies are another annoying sucking pest. They’re easy to identify because of the clouds of tiny white adults that appear in the garden. The water method works for these. Both neem oil and other horticultural oils can keep them away.

Finally, our old nemesis, the spider mite, is a possible pest of purple shamrock. This annoying little arachnid will lay its eggs on leaves. It also may suck sap from the leaves and stems. They’re eliminated by the same treatments as aphids or whiteflies.

On a more positive note, it isn’t a target for deer or other nibbling mammals, making it perfect for deer-resistant gardening.

Diseases

The leaf affected by rust fungus shows small, orange to rusty brown colored pustules on the underside.
The perennial are susceptible to a number of diseases.

For three of the following diseases, there are easy treatment options. The fourth is a bit riskier, but thankfully also less common!

Root rot is possible among plants in overly moist and warm conditions. To prevent this disease, practice proper watering of your in-ground or container-grown false shamrock. Symptoms may include yellowing of the lovely deep purple foliage or wilting and rot present around the base.

Rust is a fungal infection that causes purple shamrock leaves to yellow. The leaves eventually develop reddish, rusty-looking patches of spores. While this is most common when your oxalis is going into its dormancy period, it may still happen at other times of the year.

Powdery mildew is a normal garden irritant. This white, dusty-looking disease is easy to treat with neem oil.

Botrytis creates greyish mold patches, which are actually spores. This can spread to other plants quickly.

Finally, the fourth issue is chlorotic ringspot. If yellowish rings begin to form on the purple shamrock leaves, you may have a problem. These rings will fade into blotches or streaks of yellow. It’s a systematic issue and can’t be resolved through treatment. Keep aphids away, as they’re believed to spread chlorotic ringspot. Remove infected oxalis and destroy them to prevent further spread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Oxalis triangularis poisonous to humans?

Oxalis triangularis contains very small amounts of oxalic acid. This can be an irritant to people in large doses. However, the doses found in your purple shamrock are so small that they’re harmless to most humans. In fact, some people eat false shamrock leaves, flowers, and roots! They have a slightly bitter but tasty flavor.

To avoid any dangers from oxalic acid, you may want to cook your leaves and roots, which reduces its risk. Use it in limited quantities. While you can eat it raw, a few leaves or flowers in a salad is plenty.

Is false shamrock dangerous for my pets?

Pets don’t have the same restraint that we do. The oxalic acids are much more potent against smaller pets. It can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and a lack of appetite, among other symptoms. Thankfully, its bitter flavor prevents most pets from chewing on it! But if your dog isn’t deterred and sees it as an edible plant, keep it away.

Is Oxalis triangularis invasive?

Unlike many other oxalis species, it does not tend towards invasive. It does spread, but not as fast as other types of oxalis.

Why is my Oxalis plant dying?

Oxalis triangularis might be dying for a couple of different reasons. Check the Common Problems section above to see if it could be one of those issues.

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